Timberlake rings ‘Phone’ for MTV

Pop artist turns exec producer on reality show

Network has greenlit “The Phone,” a gameshow based on a Dutch format that mixes elements of “The Amazing Race” with “The Bourne Identity.” Timberlake, David Schiff and Cecile Frot-Coutaz are exec producers.

Series will launch in the fall. Filming locations and the length of each episode have yet to be determined.

Episodes begin with two strategically hidden cell phones ringing at opposite ends of a city. Once answered, a mysterious guide gives contestants five seconds to answer whether they want to play the game for the chance at winning a cash prize.

When the players are established, they are sent into a race against each other– with the guide watching from a helicopter above — to accomplish their mission.

“The Phone” will make “the viewer feel like they’re part of an espionage thriller,” said Frot-Coutaz, CEO of FremantleMedia North America, which is producing.